P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525
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P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525 |
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Holly Elliott - HLT's Thirty-sixth President becomes HLT's Ninth Life Member By: Roy Riedy |
The first of the one hundred and fifty-seven times that Holly Elliott's name has appeared in relation to Highlands Little Theatre occurred in the HLT Newsletter of March, 1999, when its readers were told that "Holly Elliott is providing art work for the set (of The Sound of Music)." Since that first appearance in print Mrs. Elliott has been associated with twenty-four more plays at the Lakeside Playhouse, a CAT production, a Fourth of July Patriotic Review, and four Zenon Ceremonies. Her name has appeared in fifty-four more theater newsletters and in seventy-four local newspaper articles. After her initial art work on the set of Frank Oberhausen's The Sound of Music, Holly was a member of the Stage Crew of Jet Hansen's August, 1999 production of Noises Off.
Holly and her husband Mark were spotlighted by President Beverly Padgett in her message in the November, 1999 HLT Newsletter for spearheading a massive cleanup of HLT. Beverly enthused: "Anyone who has walked through our doors has seen the first results of their commitment to this project. The creative talents of Holly, along with assistance from Mark and Lee Geiger, has created a totally new atmosphere for our theater entrance. What a super job!!!"
The first play of the 26th Season was John H. Lovelette's production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Holly's name appeared on the program with that of Mark Manley for the Set Art and also for her being responsible for the video. The next play was Frank Oberhausen's Annie Get Your Gun and Holly was again credited in the program for the Set Art. A month later the Children's Academy of Theatre, Inc. (CAT) presented an audience participation play for children and adults on the Lakeside Playhouse stage, Cinderella, Cinderella, and Holly's name appeared in the program, along with Mark Elliott and Gerry Garnich as the Lighting and Sound Crew.
Bye, Bye Birdie was directed by Sue McCollum in April and Holly's name appeared once again, this time with Jack VanDam and Ron Keyes as responsible for the Art Design. In June, Mike Logsdon's program for his production of Run For Your Wife, listed the officers for 2000-2001 and Holly Elliott was listed as being elected to the Board of Directors.
The last play of the 26th Season was Melanie Boulay's Oliver! and once again Holly's name appeared on the program as being responsible for the video. At the Fifteenth Zenon Ceremonies in early October, Holly was nominated with Mark Manley for a Production/ Technical Award for their Set Art for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, which they won; she was also nominated with Ron Keyes and Jack VanDam for their Set Art for Bye, Bye Birdie; and a third time for her video of Annie Get Your Gun. At the end of her first complete season at HLT, Holly had won her first Zenon and was a member of the Board of Directors. Her hard work was recognized and being rewarded.
In the 27th Season Holly shared credit with Frank Oberhausen for the Set Design of his record breaking January production of The King and I, and was also credited with doing the video. She was a Spot Light operator for Jim McCollum's Easter production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; and did the Set Art and the videography for Steve McDaniel's Moon Over Buffalo in June; in August she again collaborated with another VanDam, this time Steve, on the Set Art for West Side Story. At the Sixteenth Zenon Ceremonies she and Frank Oberhausen were awarded Zenons for the Best Scene Design for The King and I, and a second pair were awarded to Holly and Steve VanDam for their Set Art for West Side Story. Holly now had three Zenons that testified to her artistic talent.
The 28th Season opened with Frank Oberhausen's Guys and Dolls and Holly and her husband, Mark were the co-producers of the musical. Holly collaborated with Bob Given and Mr. Oberhausen on the Set Design, and once again she did the videography. In March Holly and Jack VanDam joined forces again to do the Set Art for Joe Willis' biblical epic Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The June program of Mike Logsdon's farce, Move Over Mrs. Markham announced that Holly Elliott had been elected President of Highlands Little Theatre for the 2002-2003 period and the August, 2002 program of Melanie Boulay's record tying Peter Pan, lists Holly, Steve and Jack VanDam, and Jennifer Westergon responsible for the Set Art.
In early September, 2002, President Elliott engaged the services of Paul Giroux, Snob Hollow Designs, to apply his expertise to the Website of Highlands Little Theatre, since then the site has become an invaluable ongoing record of the activities at HLT. At the Seventeenth Zenon Ceremonies in October, 2002, Holly Elliott was nominated for a Production/ Technical Zenon for her videography of Guys and Dolls and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Holly was even busier during the Twenty-ninth season, she and Bob Given were responsible for the Set Art of Frank Oberhausen and Kathy MacNeill's reprise of Man of La Mancha in November, 2002.
Also in early November, President Elliott recognized the work being done by the Florida Heartland Heritage Foundation by presenting a collection of significant clippings about the Foundations efforts at their groundbreaking ceremony in Lake Placid.
A month later, on Sunday, December 1, 2002, Holly had the opportunity to lead an even more meaningful groundbreaking ceremony for Highlands Little Theatre on the occasion of the first shovelful of dirt being taken from the site of where The Doctors Thakkar Pavilion now stands.
In January, 2003, Holly Elliott's name appeared in the program of Director Peter Pollard's Steel Magnolia's program as a member of the Set Construction Team.
In April of the Twenty-ninth Season, President Elliott was elected to a second term as President of Highlands Little Theatre. In Director Allen Branch's program for his June presentation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holly Elliott's name appeared as being on the teams that produced the Set Design and Set Art. In October the Eighteenth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony were Administered by President Elliott and she was also awarded a Production/Technical Discretionary Zenon Award for her Set Art work on Man of La Mancha and The Hound of the Baskervilles, boosting her Zenon total to four.
During the Thirtieth Season Holly worked on the Set Decoration of Mike Logsdon's wonderful farce Out of Order; was on the Production Team of the Fourth of July Patriotic Review; worked on the Set Decorations of Tammie Pollard's powerful Jesus Christ Superstar; and was nominated, with Bob Given for a Production/Technical Discretionary Award for their work on Out of Order and Lost in Yonkers. Towards the end of her administration she also had the pleasure of seeing the new Thakkar Pavilion and Rehearsal Hall become a reality.
It was at the election of HLT's next President, Tommy Curcio, in May, 2004, that retiring President Elliott had the gratification and honor of becoming the ninth member in the exclusive circle of HLT's Life Members, another indication of the appreciation she has gained for her outstanding success as a two term president of Highlands Little Theatre. At the moment, Holly remains on the Board of Directors in the capacity of Past President helping to guide the organization to even greater triumphs.
